In the case of a vehicle-mounted camera, which is mounted at the rear of a vehicle and captures surrounding images to monitor vehicles traveling behind or at the side of the vehicle or obstructions existing in the surroundings of the vehicle, there is a possibility that foreign substances such as mud are attached on a lens serving as an image-capturing surface, for example, during rainy weather. In such a case, the vehicle-mounted camera cannot clearly capture the surrounding image.
In this respect, there is a known technique disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2006-96190, which prevents the foreign substances from being attached on the lens surface. In Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2006-96190, a film having water repellency is disposed so as to cover the lens surface to prevent water droplets or foreign substances from being attached on the lens surface.
However, the conventional example disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2006-96190 employs a configuration in which a film having water repellency (film having a large contact angle) is used to prevent attachment of water droplets or foreign substances on the lens surface. Thus, the conventional example does not deal with the foreign substances or water droplets attached on the surface of the film itself, which causes a problem that the film needs to be replaced if the foreign substances or spots of water droplets are left.